Many people want a beautifully decorated bedroom, however they don't know where to start.
Perhaps your bedroom is already decorated, but it is not as amazing as you had hoped.
Here are a few interior designer ideas as well as a checklist for how to decorate your bedroom to be design magazine quality.
photo courtesy of John Hickey-Fry flickr.com/photos/hickey-fry/9301942156/
Have a Plan
Do not start decorating your bedroom without a plan.
Often people go to the store and buy stuff that they like without considering how it will look put together.
Look online to determine what design style you like. Make sure you will like it for many years, not a trendy style that you just discovered but might not love in the near future.
Consider the architecture of the room - where are the windows and doors, where are the electrical outlets, the path of travel to the closet or bathroom, etc.
Take your time, put a lot of thought into it like a professional interior designer would.
Architectural Changes
Do you want to make any architectural changes to your bedroom before decorating?
You can add crown molding, decorative molding around your windows, recessed lights, new flooring, or whatever upgrades you desire.
Designers know that a room lacking architectural details will not yield a good design.
Focal Point
Most every room needs to have at least one focal point.
The most common focal point in a bedroom is the bed, however it could also be a fireplace, or beautiful piece of art.
A popular decorating idea used by interior designers is to have an amazing chandelier over the bed to make the bed an even more amazing focal point.
Consider what the focal point will be in your bedroom and make sure that item or items are special.
Bedding
Your bedding should be high quality since you will spend many hours per day in your bed.
Avoid bedding that comes in a set where everything matches.
Select different items from different collections to create a one of a kind solution for your bedroom.
Interior designers will often use bedding pieces of different textures and patterns to create a bedding collection that is truly unique.
When in doubt, go with white bedding.
If you want a super fluffy duvet, a designer secret is to add 2 duvets inside 1 duvet cover to give your duvet some height and make the bed look extra luxurious (obviously this will not work well in warmer climates).
Not Matching
The most common culprit for boring bedrooms is matching furniture.
Matching furniture is convenient, however it is not very interesting.
Interior designers and decorators know that matching furniture is out of style.
Ideally, no furniture in your bedroom should match, except for your nightstands and the lamps on those nightstands.
An idea for decorating a bedroom with matching furniture is to mix around pieces in different rooms of your house to create an eclectic set of furniture in each room.
Consider trading pieces with your friend to mix things up.
Adding one or two vintage or antique pieces of furniture adds interest to your bedroom and makes it unique.
Consider the Height
You should consider the ceiling height of your bedroom.
If you have lower ceilings, keep your furniture low to the ground.
If you have taller ceilings, emphasize the ceiling height by drawing attention to the ceiling.
Quality Items
When decorating your bedroom, make sure to only buy quality products.
Consider whether the item will still be in good condition and fashionable in 5, 10, and 20 years.
Is it an item that you will pass down to your kids?
If you cannot afford quality products right now, save your money until you can.
Your bedroom does not have to be fully decorated immediately, however you should have a plan for the items to purchase when funds become available.
Unique Items
Do not shop for decorative items for your home at larger chain stores in your neighborhood, unless you want your home to look like all of your friends' homes.
To find unique items, interior designers and decorators look at larger online decor stores (which is convenient for looking at customer reviews), online auctions, garage sales, and antique stores.
Color Scheme
Select a color scheme for your bedroom that matches your personality.
Most people suggest using calming colors like a calming green (especially if you tend to be restless), however feel free to select any color scheme that makes you happy.
If you are having trouble selecting a color scheme, choose one colorful larger item for your room (a large piece of art or a rug) to set the color scheme for you.
You can choose 3 colors from your colorful item to be your color scheme.
Use each of those colors in at least 3 places in your room (on a lamp, in an accessory, in another piece of art, etc).
Also use a few lighter and darker versions of those colors for a greater depth of color scheme.
Contrast
When selecting your colors, you should also consider the color contrast.
Many people decorate their bedrooms with too little contrast that makes the room feel bland.
If you were to take a black and white photo of your room, what percentage of the photo would be black, white, and gray.
For proper contrast, approximately 10-25% of the photo should be black, 10-25% should be white, and 50-80% should be gray.
Accessories
Often the only item missing from a boring bedroom is accessories.
Avoid a common decorating pitfall of using smaller accessories.
Interior designers and decorators know that slightly oversized accessories and artwork often work best.
Functional accessories are best, such as a decorative clock, a pretty storage box to hold your TV remote, or a decorative bowl to hold your reading glasses.
You can also add a pop of color to your bedroom using a bold colored accessory.
Add fun artwork, fresh flowers, and a few photos to personalize your bedroom and make it magazine worthy.
